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Morning Message Text: Matthew 7: 21-29
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Morning Message:
I told you last week that because of Pentecost falling on the day before Memorial Day that I would probably base today’s sermon around the holiday. I have never considered myself overly patriotic, but I think the older I get the more patriotic I become. For me it has always been important to make sure that nothing interferes with worship. I should probably explain that a little. I have been in churches that seemed to put patriotism front and center and at times allowing worship to take a back seat. I am not being critical; it is very easy to let that happen. Everything that we do in worship should praise and glorify God and point everyone towards Jesus. I believe in loving our country as long as we remember that it, like everything else, is a gift from the hand of God. I think that is why my patriotism has grown. I more fully recognize the hand of God in forming this nation.
I saw three things on my phone this week that I would like to share with you. Two of them are pictures and the other a short reading. The first one is a picture of a casket with an American flag draped over it, and it says, This Memorial Day, remember…The Cost of your Freedom has been covered. Take that picture and those words and listen to the words of Jesus, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Of course, Jesus is speaking of what he is about to do for all of mankind, but we should think about that statement in the context of those who paid the ultimate price so that we might enjoy freedom. There is a connection here. This nation is weaker than it has ever been because we have lost respect for the dignity of life. What does that mean and what effect has it had? It lessens in our minds the importance of what Jesus did on Calvary, and it takes away from the importance of what so many sacrificed fighting for this nation. Think about that for a moment. How common has it become to see life snuffed out?
This leads me to the second post that I saw. It was posted by a wonderful Christian, Michael Sprague. He is a Chaplain for a state government. His post is accompanied by a picture of a military procession with a flag-draped casket being pulled by horses and caisson. He says this: “I do not live in a world dominated by Nazism, Communism, or Radical Jihadism because of the service of those in the military. On this Memorial Day I cannot take my freedom for granted. Freedom is not free. I am thankful for the 1.3 million soldiers who have died in service.” Let’s stop there for a moment. Let that number sink in. 1.3 million men and women have given their lives for our freedom. He continues: “For the 2.5 million serving in the armed forces and their families and all those who have served over the years including my dad and father-in-law and brother-in-law.” Listen, we all need to hear this: “Praying for the 540,000 vets diagnosed with PTSD and the 50,000 homeless and those who wrestle with suicidal thoughts.” There has been much sacrificed for us.
Now we have to pivot a little in order to connect our falling away from our dedication to country and how we, the church, have fallen away from what Jesus has called us to be. There is a difference between saying that you love your country and actually loving it. We say that we are grateful for our freedom, but are we willing to stand against those who are attempting to take it away? I am not talking about actual physical confrontation, I am talking about voicing opposition, speaking what is right to what is wrong. Jesus tells us that we are His friends if we do what He commands. What is that simple commandment? To love one another as He has loved. That is not as easy as we take it to be. To love as He loves is to be willing to sacrifice the things of this life for the good of each other. We like to sing, “What a friend we have in Jesus,” but our we ready to be the kind of friends that He is calling us to be?
I am making a plea to you today to take your citizenship more seriously if you want to continue to live in this free nation that others have sacrificed to provide. And I am pleading with you to take your faith, your commitment to Jesus, seriously and pay heed to these very serious words from scripture, words spoken by Jesus himself. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. “Many of you will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.’”
You might say, I believe in God, I am a good church member, I sing in the choir, I serve on session, I have sacrificed many things in life in order to choose the church, I am a good person. Look at the picture. None of that matters. What it comes down to as a citizen is: Do you truly love your country enough to be involved and take a stand? What it comes down to with Jesus is: Do you truly love him; do you have a relationship with him? Look closely, let it sink in.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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